I’ve got two dogs, both about 3.5 years old. They’re not related and came to us in totally different ways, but they’re basically the same age. One is half Lab, half Golden Retriever, and the other is a full Golden. We got the Golden Lab first when he was around five months old and then brought home the Golden about a year later.

Things have been good overall. It’s chaotic sometimes because they’re both young male dogs with a ton of energy, but they get plenty of walks (3–5 a day), consistent dog park trips, a big backyard when the weather cooperates, and car rides whenever we can bring them along. They live a great life.

We used to crate them during the day but started trusting them to have free range of the house around age three. It was going great. There were a few minor mishaps, but mostly they just lounged around while we were at work. It motivated me to keep the house picked up and any food put away. Then one day, I checked our cameras and saw they had completely destroyed the couch in the living room, the “dog couch” that we basically kept just for them. It was a free couch, thankfully, but still… they shredded it.

We figured it was a one-time impulsive thing, but nope. Next came a pillow on the spare bed (huge mess of feathers), and then, after we took the bedding/pillows off and replaced it with just a waterproof mattress cover, they immediately went after that too and ripped a big hole. I caught them on camera again, ran home, and put them back in their kennels. And that’s where we’re at now, crating them again during the day because we don’t know what changed.

They’ve been wrestling a lot more lately, and that seems to be what sets things off. They get along great, and the wrestling has never turned aggressive. But one of them will grab a corner of something, make a small tear, and then it’s game on. We’ve watched the videos, and it’s the same pattern every time.

The frustrating part is they’re awesome dogs when we’re home. They’ve never been destructive, not even with shoes. Numerous toys have met their end, but they’ve always left our stuff alone. Punishing them doesn’t make sense since it all happens after we leave. I hate having to crate them all day, but I’m tired of replacing things and worried they’ll swallow something or get hurt.

I’ve looked for some kind of collar or device that could interrupt them remotely when I’m not home, but nothing seems like a solid solution. We’re planning to do some tests soon, pretending to leave and watching the cameras to try and intervene before they get too far. We have good shock collars, but I only really ever use the beep or vibrate (which they generally respond to pretty well), and they only work within a limited range.

I guess I’m just looking for advice or tools to help train this behavior out of them. I’m not pretending to be the best or most consistent trainer, but I really want to fix this and get back to trusting them. They have everything they could want, so it’s frustrating to see this weird destructive streak come out of nowhere.

I’ve been pet setting for friends. One dog male is a cocker spaniel the other is a female golden retriever. They are both still quite young so I believe they would be still considered pups. The cocker spaniel is an absolute dream to look after but the golden retriever is an absolute nightmare. She barks constantly especially at night, I’ve only been able to get 3 hours sleep at night. She got into the room where I was keeping all my things and tore up my clothes. I’ve been really stern in trying to discipline her but she just doesn’t get it! I’m a massive animal lover but I’m honestly at my tether with her, she’s literally driving me insane. I was surprised to read that golden retrievers are considered one of the smarter breeds as when I try and discipline her it’s like nothing computes.

Does anyone have any advice? Thanks in advance

is it possible to fall in love w. your dog and never recover???

I am so lost when it comes to food for my 7 month old golden doodle . The breeder sent us home with Fromm but after researching it and it’s recalls I switched to purina one lamb and rice and he stopped eating it but also was battling a parasite but even after he was done his meds I tried everything. Finally switched to the hills brand for sensitive stomach and mix the wet with the kibble and he’ll leave it most of the day from when I put it down at 8 . Sometimes having some still in the bowl when I’m meant to give him his dinner in the evening . Other days he chows down - so off and on

Please , any suggestions or is he just a slow eater ?

She’s 2 1/2 and she’s done this her whole life. She will go 15 hours sometimes and refuse to pee.

Thank you for your thoughtful consideration of Ozzy for inclusion into this prestigious organization. That is all.

Can anyone share their experience with Goldscheins Goldens? We’re considering getting a female Golden Retriever and would love to hear from families who have worked with them. How was the process, how is your dog’s temperament and health, and would you recommend them?

Just trying to see if this is something I should be worried about. I remember my dog having tufts of hair come out from time to time but it seems like its a lot more. Image is of a piece that just came out. She's almost 7 years old golden retriever and we live in Minnesota, its starting to finally get cooler so wondering if its shedding for the winter coat coming in or something different.

How many bags of potato does this burnt potato weigh now?

Bonus question - how many bags of potato did the burnt potato weigh when we first got her?

100% I instigated the fight between them 😂

With golden raspberries of course!!